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Kerber Outdoes Venus, Stosur & Li Win Too

Angelique Kerber was one of four players to move into the last 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Published May 07, 2012 12:00

Angelique Kerber

MADRID, Spain - The first round wrapped up at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday, but the second round was just getting started too, and four players snapped up their spots in the round of 16 at the Premier-level tournament.

Sam Stosur, the No.5 seed, was the highest-ranked player to play their second round match, and she came alive when she really needed it, reeling off eight straight games from 26 44 to put Christina McHale away, 26 64 60.

"I knew it was going to be a late day, but I certainly didn't think we would start at 10 o'clock and finish up at midnight," Stosur said. "It was tough to get going at the start but once I got out of that second set, I felt pretty good out there.

"Christina played very well. She was serving well and taking the ball early off the ground. She really had me moving today. It was a tough one."

"We played each other in Doha this year and I won there, which is a nice thing to know in the back of your mind," Stosur said. "But it's a totally different scenario this time. She's had a nice last few years. She's playing well."

"I'm very happy I could beat Venus. She's a great player, a great champion and has won so many Grand Slams," Kerber said. "I played very well from the first point, so I'm very happy about it. It means a lot to me to win against her."

Kerber has had her breakthrough results on hardcourts, including her first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open and her first two WTA titles at Paris and Copenhagen, but she feels comfortable on clay as well. "It doesn't matter to me where I play - blue clay, red clay, hardcourts," she said. "The blue clay is a little bit different though. It's very slippery and the balls bounce a little bit higher, but I feel good on it, and I'm in the third round now. I hope to continue like this."

Defending champion Angelique Kerber and the returning Serena Williams headline the acceptance list for the 2017 Australian Open. Meanwhile, Australian teenager Lizette Cabrera and Luksika Kumkhum have earned the first two wildcards.